Luke 1:46-47

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Luke 1:46

And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my Spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaid: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.This is the first of four divisions of the MAGNIFICAT. It details the joy, reverence, and gratitude of a person, counted by the world as lowly, and who refers to herself as a slave. It utters praise to God for what he has done for her. The privilege which came to Mary dominates the... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Luke 1:46

Luke 1:46. And Mary said, &c.— The virgin, having heard Elisabeth speak thus, was likewise filled with the Holy Ghost; so that being inspired she expressed the deepest sense of her own unworthiness, and of the infinite goodness of God, in choosing her to the high honour of being the Messiah's mother. This she did in a hymn, which, though uttered extempore, is remarkable forthe beauty of its style, the sublimity of its sentiments, and the spirit of piety which runs through the whole. It is a... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Luke 1:47

Luke 1:47. My spirit hath rejoiced— When a person, speaking of himself, mentions his soul or spirit as doinga thing, it is the strongest expression in human language, and intimates his doing the thing mentioned with the utmost energy of all his faculties: Mary, therefore, by saying, that her soul magnified the Lord, and that her spirit rejoiced in God, meant to declare, that she exerted the utmost vigour of all her faculties in setting forth the perfections of God, which constitute his... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Luke 1:46

46-55. A magnificent canticle, in which the strain of Hannah's ancient song, in like circumstances, is caught up, and just slightly modified and sublimed. Is it unnatural to suppose that the spirit of the blessed Virgin had been drawn beforehand into mysterious sympathy with the ideas and the tone of this hymn, so that when the life and fire of inspiration penetrated her whole soul it spontaneously swept the chorus of this song, enriching the Hymnal of the Church with that spirit-stirring... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Luke 1:47

47. my Saviour—Mary, poor heart, never dreamt, we see, of her own "immaculate conception"—in the offensive language of the Romanists—any more than of her own immaculate life. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 1:5-52

II. THE BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF JESUS 1:5-2:52This section contains material unique in Luke. The only repeated statement occurs in Luke 2:39 and Matthew 2:23. Other unique features are the way Luke alternated the reader’s attention between John and Jesus, and the joy that several individuals expressed (Luke 1:46-55; Luke 1:68-79; Luke 2:14; Luke 2:29-32). [Note: For studies of the structure of this passage, see Robert C. Tannehill, The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts , 1:15-20; R. E. Brown, The... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 1:26-56

B. The announcement of Jesus’ birth 1:26-56This section parallels the one immediately preceding (Luke 1:5-25). Their forms are so similar that Luke must have arranged them to bring out the similarities between them. Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus as he had John’s birth. Again the fact of a divinely initiated birth announcement shows the unique significance of the individual to be born. In the preceding section the father was the main figure, but in this one the mother is."Luke presents... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 1:39-56

3. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth 1:39-56This section brings the parallel stories of John’s birth and Jesus’ birth together. The two sons had their own identities and individual greatness, but Jesus was superior. John began his ministry of exalting Jesus in his mother’s womb. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 1:46-47

Mary’s reply to Elizabeth was also an inspired utterance. This "Magnificat" has strong connections with Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. However it also alludes to at least 12 other Old Testament passages. [Note: Alfred Plummer, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Luke, pp. 30-31.] Mary’s familiarity with the Old Testament shows her love for God and His Word. A striking feature of this poem is the fact that Mary viewed God as overthrowing... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 1:1-80

Birth of John. The Annunciation1-4. Preface. To write a preface to a history is not a Jewish, but a classical custom, and by following it St. Luke shows himself a true Gentile, trained in Greek culture and imitating classical models. Here he affects classical elegance and correctness of expression, but in the course of his Gospel he generally imitates the simpler synoptic style.This Preface contains all that is really known as distinguished from what is guessed about the sources of the Synoptic... read more

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